Thursday, October 20, 2011

An American celebrity hunter who makes big money selling videos of his waterfowl hunts must hand some cash to the courts for violations that include abusing birds after he shot them.

Jeff Foiles, 54, from Pleasant Hill, Ill., was fined $14,500 on Wednesday in Edmonton court and banned from hunting in Canada for the next three years.

He had already been sentenced in the United States to 13 months in prison, fined $100,000 and banned from hunting there for two years. He is to start serving his time Nov. 21.

Provincial court Judge Susan Richardson agreed to the sentence recommended by the Crown and defence. Mr. Foiles was not present and could not be reached for comment.

Judge Richardson said the worst part of the case was that Mr. Foiles caused “gratuitous harm” to the animals. She added he may no longer be allowed to cross the border into Canada now that he has a criminal record.
During one of his videotaped hunts in Alberta in 2007, Mr. Foiles is seen holding up a wounded duck he calls “Mrs. Mallard.” He wrenches its neck and opens its mouth while making quacking noises.

In another hunt videotaped the next day, Mr. Foiles manipulates a wounded duck for four minutes, whacking it on the head with a duck call, covering its head with an empty shell box and playing peek-a-boo. He later places his fingers over the bird's nostrils and holds its beak closed while asking “Is this how you want to die?”